Improvement in thill-couplings



L S. ROWE. Thill Coupling.

Patented. Feb. 7, 1871.

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MPETERS. PNOTO-UYNDGRAPNER. WAS

time sate tame cam LEWIs s. RoWE; 0E DERBY LINE, VERMONT, ASSIGNOR 'ro HIMSELF AND T. SHEAFE.

Letters Patent No. 111,574. dated February 7,1871.

.IMPROVEN I ENT IN THlLL-COUPLINGS.-

To vall whom 'it may concern.- v

Be it known that I, LEWIS S. ROWE, of Derby Line, in the county of Orleans and State of Vermont, have invented a new and useful Improvement in Thill- Coupling; and I do hereby'declare that the following is a full, clear, and exact'description thereof, which will enable others skilled in the art to make and use the same, reference being bad to the accompanying Figure 4 is a detail sectional view, taken through I the line 3] 1y, fig. 2.

My invention has for its object to furnish a simple and convenient coupling for connecting thills and tongues to the axles of vehicles, which shall be easily connected and disconnected without requiring a wrench or other tool to be used, even in the dark, and which shall, at the same time, be entirely noiseless; and

It consists in the construction and combination of various parts of the coupling, as hereinafter more full y. described.

A is the clip, which is passed around the axle, in the ordinary manner.

B is the yoke, which is placed upon the lower ends of the clip A, and is secured by nuts, screwing upon screw threads out upon the said lower ends of the the said clip.

Upon the forward side or arm ofthe ciip A are formed cars, a, between which is the seat for the eye of the'thill-iron O.

The bolt-hole or eye of the thill-iron C is made larger than the bolt D, by which the said thiil-iron O is connected to the ears (0 of the clip A, and in said hole or eye is placed a rubber tube, E, through which .the'bolt. 1) passes, which rubber tube prevents all rat- 'tlin'g of the coupling, and all wear of the body or eye of the bolt. The bolt D is passed through the coupling, and its head is countersunk in the ear a, so that its outer surface may be flush with the outer surface of said ear.

The uppersidc of the head of the bolt D may be cut off, as shown in dotted lines in fig. .1, to prevent the insertion and removal of said bolt, from being interfered with by the guard'li', and to 'enable the operator, by simply feeling the shape of the bolt-head, to insert the bolt right side up in the dark.

The guard 1 is a disk, circular in its general form, and pivoted near its upper edge to the car a, so that it may be turned up and out of the way, to allow the bolt 1) to be conveniently inserted and removed, a part of the rear side being cutaway, if necessaryito enable it when turned up to fully uncover the head of the bolt 1).

Upon thelower edge of the guard F is formed a. projection or handle, f, by means of whichthe said guard may be conveniently operated.

Upon the inner side of'the arm or handle f is formed a V- shaped shoulder, which entersa V- shaped groove in the'lower edge of the ear to, as shownin figs. 2 and 3.

This construction secures the guard from being broken off by a lateral blow. The only effect of a blow in front would be to lock :the said guard more securely in place.

Having thus described my invention,

I claim as new and desire to'secure by Letters Patent- An improved thill-coupling, formed by the combi nation of the guard F f, countersunk-headed bolt D, cars a, rubber tube E, thill-iron O, yoke B, and clip vA, with each other, substantially as herein shown and described, and for the purpose set forth.

I LEWIS S. ROWE. lVitnesses 2 W. H. DENISON, H. G. BURRoeE. 

